Sportboards such as snowboards, skis, wakeboards, surfboards, skateboards, mountainboards and the like have gained in popularity. These boards are typically tapered in the middle or at the ends. Many of these boards, such as snowboards and skis, have a more narrow, central “waist” region, and wider end regions. Surfboards, on the other hand, typically have a wider central region and more narrow end regions.
In order to maintain such boards in optimal condition, it is necessary to store the boards in a manner that prevents them from getting nicked or crushed. Many times, this equipment is stored in a basement or garage, along with other items. There is thus a danger of these boards being damaged in storage. Also, these boards can be quite large and thus take up substantial floor space.
These same concerns apply to the retail display of sportboards. There is thus the need for a sportboard storage rack system that solves the problems associated with typical current homeowner and retailer sportboard storage.
One proposed solution for sportboard storage is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,827,226. That patent discloses an apparatus with gripping members that are movable relative to a base member, to support sportboards of different widths. The gripping members are angled such that they match the angle of the flared edges of the sportboard. The gripping members grip along a portion of the edges and along a portion of the thickness of the sportboard.
Although this apparatus may be satisfactory for storage of sportboards, it is rather complex to use, expensive to make, and prone to failure. For example, since the gripping members are held to the base with a screw, the gripping members can potentially be insufficiently tightened or come loose, which can result in the board falling from the apparatus. Further, as the gripping members grip only a portion of the thickness of the board, if they are not properly placed tightly against the two edges of the board, the board can slip out of the apparatus. The multi-part apparatus is both expensive to manufacture and relatively difficult to install. Further, as the gripping members can be removed from the base, the gripping members can be lost.